A fully restored Willys-Overland jeep, vintage 1945, is one of the Metairie
resident's most prized possessions. Buchler's vehicle, painted gray and
personalized with Buchler's military company, division and serial number,
always prompts questions and interest.

"People can see what happened to those who were called up and saved the
world," said Buchler, a former Army machine gun operator who saw combat in
Europe during World War II.

Jeeps are in. Not Jeeps, the trademarked sport-utility vehicle brand that
is part of America's new love of the oversized road tank. These are the
original jeeps, once called "blitz buggies" or "puddle jumpers," the
revolutionary war machines developed in the 1940s and used by the American
military until the 1980s, when they were replaced with the larger, more
powerful Humvees. Instead of seeing combat overseas, these recycled and
restored vehicles are now being seen on suburban streets.

"When the D-Day Museum started coming to town, it started jeep mania,"
local businessman Jimmy Duckworth said, referring to the future opening of the
New Orleans center celebrating the Allies' invasion of France on June 6, 1944.
"It's a good investment, and they're really fun to boot."

Gen. George C. Marshall once called the jeep "America's greatest
contribution to modern warfare." Military officials first saw the need for a
more rugged vehicle during World War I, when the mud bath that was the Western
Front slowed down conventional transports, such as motorcycles and horses,
historians say. Soon after Europe became tangled in World War II, U.S.
military officials put out a call for a quarter-ton 4-by-4 that could carry a
600-pound payload.

Three companies responded. The design by Willys-Overland got the nod, and
production began. Later, when the company couldn't keep up with the military's
demands, Ford joined in manufacturing the vehicles. Despite the competition
between the companies, Willys-Overland gave Ford all of its specifications and
patents, so the machines would be the same.

Duckworth said he's a perfectionist when it comes to restoration, but some
flaws are too important to remove. One of the jeeps currently on the blocks in
Duckworth's shop has two bullet holes preserved for posterity behind the
passenger's seat.

"I attribute them to a dumb officer who jumped in the jeep with a cocked

Local car dealer Jimmy Bryan Sr. bought his jeep from a friend on the north
shore in 1996. He'd always wanted a jeep, he said -- something to remind him
of his days serving in the Pacific with the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Bryan paid $2,500 for the vehicle and has invested $17,000 in its
restoration. Besides all of the mechanical fix-ups, Bryan had his jeep painted
with Navy camouflage and his WW II serial number.

"It's fully restored, and it looks brand new," Bryan said. "It's a real
kick. I get a kick out of driving it."

A kick in many ways: Bryan said the jeep is a "rough-riding vehicle," and
not the easiest to access.

"It's difficult for old people like me to get in and out of it," Bryan
said. "When I was in the Navy, we used to jump in and out like it was
nothing."

It's unclear how the jeep got its name. In his dispatches from the North
African campaign, war correspondent Ernie Pyle referred to the vehicle as a
"Peep." Some say jeep is a corruption of "G.P.," an abbreviation of "general
purpose," which the machine was supposed to be. Still others say the vehicle
is named after "Jeep," a "Popeye" cartoon character who knew the answers to
every question and could do almost anything.

Local historian Bert Duplantis believes "G.P." is the closest to the truth.
Duplantis owns a 1951 Willys-Overland, one designed for civilian use when the
company marketed them with the slogan, "The Sun Never Sets on the Mighty
Jeep." Duplantis said preserving the historic machines, and remembering the
American contributions to World War II, is especially important now as the
veterans of that war are becoming endangered species.

"I don't think the younger generation cares so much about history," the
Kenner resident said. Duplantis will show his jeep, painted in the military
style, during a World War II re-enactment this weekend by the New Orleans
Living History of the American Military Troupe at City Park in New Orleans.
Duplantis hopes the event, which features battles each day at 11:30 a.m. and
both American and German camps, will wake up young Americans.

"I'm hoping they'll be more aware of the great sacrifices that were made,
so they could make the choice to be oblivious," Duplantis said.